Songs, poems, or literary texts for my Vietnamese landlord's english exam?

[Stephenite]

My landlord Tam has 24 hours to prepare for an english exam.

Part of this time should be used '...to read and review songs, poems and literary texts that express social and political views or personal feelings...'

Does anyone have any suggestions? He's coming round later and i've drawn a blank.

 

[Chris Sirrus]

Philip Larkin, This Be the Verse. A very... colourful poem

 

[Rhythm Thief]

This should be useful, or put him off altogether.

The English Language is clear enough
Despite bough and cough and dough and tough
Mistakes are possible it’s true
With hiccough, thorough, lough and through
Beware of heard – a tricky word
That looks like beard but sounds like bird
And dead, it is said like bed not bead
It is wrong to pronounce a fellow deed.
Watch out for meat and great and threat
They rhyme with suite and straight and debt.
A moth is not a moth in mother
Nor both in bother, broth in brother
And here is not a rhyme for there
Nor dear and fear for bear and pear
There is always dose and rose and lose
Look those up with goose and choose
And cork with work and card with ward
Or font with front and word with sword
And do and go or thwart and cart –
Speaking English is an art
With all these traps in which to fall
It is a wonder we can speak at all.

 

[thomas]

Part of this time should be used '...to read and review songs, poems and literary texts that express social and political views or personal feelings...'

I really enjoyed going over Wordsworth and Coleridge's lyrical ballads in English lit...other than the first poem, the rest are all written in reasonably understandable english.

They show the poet's personal feelings (they were romantics).

They come in varying lengths too. There is plenty of background information that might want to be looked into.

I'm not really interested in poetry...but really enjoyed reading them!

 

[Norm]

May be a little inflammatory for an "English" test but the early works of Sinead O'Connor could be considered to "express social and political views or personal feelings..."

I'm sure there are better but Mandinka, Fire on Balylon and Last Day of our Acquaintance should probably be in the list but there are so many that I've left out (like Three Babies).

Again with the Celtic theme, a bit of social commentary could be gleaned from Fairytale of New York.

Bit more up to date, The Verve's "The Drugs don't work" might be handy, as could Choose Life by PF Project.

Sooooo many, that's a start. Hope it helps.

 

[upsidedown]

I always loved "The Mask of Anarchy" by Shelley. Written about the Peterloo massacre in Manchester, it was a turning point for British politics.

and no i'm not a poetry expert, i first read it on the inside sleeve of Sound Affects by The Jam many years ago

 

[Yellow Fang]

The Diggers' Song is a good one.

 

[Norm]

Anyone who lives within 50 miles of me will understand my suggestion of Sir John Betjeman's poem about Slough.

Inflation aside, nothing has changed in the 72 years since he wrote that, the references to bogus Tudor bars and frizzed peroxide hair, it is scarily relevant today.

I'm not convinced about David Brent's deconstruction, though.

 

[swee'pea99]

An Irish Airman Foresees His Death

I know that I shall meet my fate
Somewhere among the clouds above;
Those that I fight I do not hate,
Those that I guard I do not love;

My country is Kiltartan Cross,
My countrymen Kiltartan's poor,
No likely end could bring them loss
Or leave them happier than before.

Nor law, nor duty bade me fight,
Nor public men, nor cheering crowds,
A lonely impulse of delight
Drove to this tumult in the clouds;

I balanced all, brought all to mind,
The years to come seemed waste of breath,
A waste of breath the years behind
In balance with this life, this death.


WB Yeats

 

[Stephenite]

Thanks one and all for your help. I've got something to go on here. Poetry is relevant through the ages and across cultures, innit?

Update:

We had a good chat over a few hours. Think we both learned a lot. Tam especially liked the Yeats and will, if he gets the chance, write about it tomorrow. Thanks Swee'pea. Rhythm Thief that was cruel, but very useful. He gave up after 'hiccough', but came back to it later when he became more confident. We didn't have time to look at all of the suggestions, unfortunately. There is so much depth of meaning in the words and phrases used in poems and lyrics it takes an eternity to discuss them. I'd overlooked that, like the philistine i've become.

Again, thanks to you all for posting. You've been great.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Rhythm Thief that was cruel, but very useful. He gave up after 'hiccough', but came back to it later when he became more confident.

Sorry. It wasn't an entirely serious suggestion, but if it was useful, I'm pleased. I didn't mean to put him off altogether!